Katharine D'Souza, Erika Hawkes and Catherine Mills
The purpose of this paper is to highlight developments in evaluation of researcher development training undertaken by the University of Birmingham's Graduate School. It details…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight developments in evaluation of researcher development training undertaken by the University of Birmingham's Graduate School. It details the mixed methods analysis techniques applied and shows how results are used to shape future training provision.
Design/methodology/approach
Initial analysis is carried out immediately following each course to ensure it meets the needs of current students. Deeper analysis is undertaken on an annual basis to draw out trends and issues. This allows us to see overall satisfaction with each course as well as identifying the most helpful elements, what could be changed, and what other courses students would like to see. As a case study this paper demonstrates the quantitative and qualitative evaluation undertaken on the Academic Writing, Part Time Researcher and Viva Preparation courses run in recent years and shows how the results can be measured using the Rugby Team Impact Framework.
Findings
Analysis of our courses has revealed conclusions which will steer future course development and demonstrates the value of researcher development training.
Practical implications
Our results give us confidence that our training programme delivers what our students need.
Originality/value
These methods could be applied to researcher development training programmes elsewhere.
Details
Keywords
The horror genre is and always has been populated by women, who can be seen to be at once both objectified and empowered. Building off the preexisting gender hierarchies and…
Abstract
The horror genre is and always has been populated by women, who can be seen to be at once both objectified and empowered. Building off the preexisting gender hierarchies and dynamics embedded in the history of horror cinema, this chapter looks at a number of New French Extremity films that assault audiences with unrelenting scenes of violence, torture and self-mutilation, which are performed almost exclusively upon or by women. Although the films of the New French Extremity have been dismissed as exploitative in their representations of wounded and suffering female bodies, their narratives also offer internal criticisms of the misogynistic portals of victimhood that are prevalent in the genre. Through a close analysis of the films Inside (Bustillo & Maury, 2007) (French title: À L’intérieur) and Martyrs (Laugier, 2008), this chapter will examine how both films deviate from the male monster/female victim dichotomy. Although the women of these films may start off vulnerable, they take charge of their situations, while also compacting the nature of feminine identity.
Details
Keywords
Siddharth Kulkarni, Craig Chapman, Hanifa Shah, Erika Anneli Parn and David John Edwards
This paper aims to conduct a comprehensive literature review in the tidal energy physics, the ocean environment, hydrodynamics of horizontal axis tidal turbines and bio-mimicry.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conduct a comprehensive literature review in the tidal energy physics, the ocean environment, hydrodynamics of horizontal axis tidal turbines and bio-mimicry.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides an insight of the tidal turbine blade design and need for renewable energy sources to generate electricity through clean energy sources and less CO2 emission. The ocean environment, along with hydrodynamic design principles of a horizontal axis tidal turbine blade, is described, including theoretical maximum efficiency, blade element momentum theory and non-dimensional forces acting on tidal turbine blades.
Findings
This review gives an overview of fish locomotion identifying the attributes of the swimming like lift-based thrust propulsion, the locomotion driving factors: dorsal fins, caudal fins in propulsion, which enable the fish to be efficient even at low tidal velocities.
Originality/value
Finally, after understanding the phenomenon of caudal fin propulsion and its relationship with tidal turbine blade hydrodynamics, this review focuses on the implications of bio-mimicking a curved caudal fin to design an efficient horizontal axis tidal turbine.